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2006 is a significant milestone in forest history.
It marks the 100th anniversary of the first National Forest Convention,
convened by the Canadian Forestry Association in 1906 and presided
over by Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier, who also served as Honourary
President of the CFA.
The CFA is partnering with other stakeholders to convene
the 10th National Forest Congress with the focus on Sustainable
Land Management in the Boreal. The Congress will take place September
25-27, 2006 at the Hilton Lac Leamy, in Canada’s National
Capital Region.
Canada’s boreal forest is unique in that it
contains one-quarter of the world’s forests, and is one of
the largest intact forest ecosystems on Earth. The Canadian boreal
region provides habitat for wildlife and people, stimulates hundreds
of thousands of jobs, and generates billions of dollars to our economy.
Naturally, the survival of the boreal depends on the long-term implementation
of sustainable, integrated land-use management policies and practices.
It is important that Canadians understand the challenges
presented by a multiplicity of interests and values with respect
to the boreal region, and that we achieve a balance between conventional
thinking and a vision for the future that addresses elements of
economic development, ecosystem sustainability, Aboriginal interests,
and community and social values.
A mainstay during the planning and development of
the program for this boreal summit is to stress the national and
international significance of the biome. Goals and objectives for
the Congress include demonstrating to Canadians, and to the world,
that all stakeholders in the utilization of our natural resources
are committed to sustainable forest land management in the boreal.
One of the intended outcomes of this Congress is to
obtain a commitment from all sectors to pursue the formation of
a cross-sectoral council to examine national and international goals
for stewardship and sustainable land management. Thus fulfilling
a long-standing mandate to set objectives by consensus, as agreed
during the first National Forest Congress in 1906.
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